A new Ireland
•Tim Pat Coogan (Letters, August 24) implies that the president is not needed but then neither is one more ghost estate, even one as palatial as the the Aras.
Perhaps the answer is to turn the Aras into Reform Central for the next five years?
With Heritage Week just over maybe it's time to think of how we lost our way, and the intangible heritage such as the fair judgment of Brehon Law that kept Ireland stable and prosperous for 3,000 years.
In 2001, as the real boom was reaching its peak, we had a choice to use this money to diversify and build indigenous industries or sell overpriced houses to each other. Fianna Fail, guided by its developer mates, chose the latter.
In 2003 when the M3 was driven through Tara against the will of the majority of Irish people, we realised that we the people no longer had control of our country. The rest is history.
Tara is at the core of the Irish psyche, as Michael Collins said, "a garment that fits". The Tara philosophy encourages prosperity while taking care of the weaker members of society.
Now, we are being told that we all must suffer because of the greed of a few. Why? Does a trillion have any real meaning? Money in society is simply a few numbers stored in a computer somewhere. What matters is having a roof over our head, feeding our family, having time and peace of mind to enjoy life.
In 2003 we were given an invalid choice, prosperity or our heritage. We could have had both, we got neither.
Ireland needs real reform to become a wiser Gaelic salmon, flexible and strong enough to weather the storms that are inevitable in this ever-shifting global economy.
If we are going to protest this election, let it be for the Ireland we want.
Let the residence of the president be instead used to cater for roundtable conferences, a gathering place for those who are willing to donate their time for free to help create a new reformed Ireland.
Perhaps we should add Tara to our ballots and vote Tara this presidential election.
It's time to reclaim and reform our country.
Pauline Bleach
Newtown, NSW, Australia
Irish Independent
